The collection includes contracts, letters, licenses, and receipts concerning John W. Howland's business transactions. John W. Howland (1814-1896) was a builder, lumber dealer, highway surveyor, and tax collector in Tisbury, Massachusetts.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Use and Reproduction Restrictions

Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to museum staff. Reproduction fees may apply.

Preferred Citation

Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 489, John W. Howland Papers.

Acquisition Information

Agreement for building schooner Smack gift of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas C. Fonda in 1972. (Accession no. 1972.033). The immediate source of acquisition and date of accession for the rest of the material is unknown.

Geographic Name(s)

Subject(s)

Biography/Historical Note

John Wing Howland was born on August 10, 1814 in Westport, Massachusetts. John moved to Martha's Vineyard and worked as a builder and lumber dealer. On February 7, 1837, John married Rebecca Luce Crowell (1821-1916) of Tisbury, Massachusetts. The couple lived in Tisbury and had six children: Adelaide (1840-1928), Mary (1842-1899), Ann Eliza (1849-1880), Charlotte D. (1854-1921), Carrie Russell (1860-1944), and John Everett (1862-1939). John was a surveyor of highways for the Town of Tisbury, was a tax collector, worked on the Dukes County Court House front stairs, and built the Methodist parsonage, along with many other buildings. John W. Howland died on April 9, 1896.